Deal done in OKC for Scott Brooks; should be signed Monday. Four years, 4M+/year.

That gives Brooks the years he wanted, but the salary is not out of control (Doc Rivers was the top paid coach in the NBA last year at $7 million).

Brooks was really always going to come back as coach. This team believes in him. Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook trust him. We can debate his rotations — I thought Brook’s choices hurt OKC in the finals — the fact is this team listens to him and plays very hard for him. That matters.

And Books is young as a coach, a guy who is still learning.

Some Thunder fans seemed to hold out the unrealistic option of Phil Jackson coming in. That wouldn’t have worked. I don’t mean on the court, although Russell Westbrook is not a guy who fits the triangle point guard well at all. But rather, I mean off the court — Jackson is not just a guy who comes in and coaches, he influences and changes every level of the organization. The Thunder do not need that, Sam Presti has set up San Antonio North — a lot of very good, selfless players buying into what works. Jackson changes that dynamic and while he has won this is a young core that is on the verge of winning and there is no reason to change that up.

Now this is behind them and the Thunder can focus on taking one more step.

ESPN reports that the Oklahoma City Thunder are “closing in” on a new deal with head coach Scott Brooks:

Sources told ESPN.com on Friday night that Brooks and the Thunder, after slow-moving talks that had left the sides well apart by the end of the NBA Finals earlier this month, soon will finalize a new four-year deal to follow up the contract that expires Saturday.

Although the financial specifics were not yet known, ESPN.com reported last week that the Thunder’s most recent offer was “north of $4 million” annually.

The Thunder were not going to let the coach that lead them to the Finals get away, no matter their resistance to overpaying for him. Brooks comes with questions, that can’t be denied. Tactically, there are issues, but at the same time, Brooks has overseen the development of two All-Stars, the Sixth Man of the Year, and the Defensive Player of the Year runner-up. It’s just too absurd to think that they would allow him to walk away.

In the end, the Thunder will wind up caving on both the number of years and the amount per year. That was always going to happen. This isn’t new stuff. Coaches, particularly, younger ones, have a hard time getting the mega-deals. But OKC wasn’t going to go in another direction, wasn’t going to risk upsetting the good thing they have going.

Brooks will be back in OKC, and the process will continue. And so will people questioning whether he’s the guy to get it done.

Remember his contract is set to expire on July 1. He guided the Oklahoma City Thunder to the NBA finals with a young core. While you can question his basketball Xs and Os — and there are plenty of basketball people who do — this team really relates to him and plays hard for him. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden like him. And, he made the adjustments necessary to beat Gregg Popovich, the best coach on the planet right now. But his rotations in the finals were confusing. At best.

Well, what Brooks thinks he is worth and what Thunder management have turned out to be two very different things and the two sides are nowhere near a deal, reports David Aldridge of NBA.com.

Sources confirmed a Yahoo! report that Oklahoma City is now offering Brooks a four-year deal, after staying at three years during the last several months of negotiations, and a league source said that Oklahoma City is now willing to discuss a deal that would get Brooks in the $4 million per year range.

Brooks believes that his performance in developing the Thunder’s rotation the last three years warrants a deal that would make him one of the highest-paid coaches in the league. A source with knowledge of the negotiations said that the Thunder’s current offer would not get Brooks into the top 10 of the league’s top-paid coaches, based on this past season’s coaching salaries.

Welcome to coaching in a small market.

In the end, you have to think both sides will get this done. Brooks isn’t doing this just for the money, he really likes this team. He’ll come down some. The Thunder know Brooks has the pulse of this team and they have gotten better for him each year (and he has gotten better). It’s a match.

Besides, if the Thunder are going to replace Brooks at this point that only works if you are going to go big with a name coach who can walk in the door, instantly command the respect of the locker room and take them to the next level. And if you think Brooks is asking for too much money, wait until you talk to those guys.

When we told you this rumor was out there — that Phil Jackson and Jeff Van Gundy were on the list as potential coaches of the Thunder if Scott Brooks wasn’t brought back — we told you to take it with a grain of salt. Or, actually an entire box of kosher salt (we only use the good stuff).

“To me, it’s rubbish,” Presti said Sunday when asked about an ESPN report that Jackson and Van Gundy were being considered as options if Brooks couldn’t be re-signed….

“Scotty is an integral part of our organization and critical to our success,” Presti said. “We value him greatly and we’re looking forward to having those (contract) conversations, as he said, in the coming days. He’s been integral to our success. We wouldn’t be the situation that we’re in without him and his commitment to our organization and our players.”

First off, “rubbish” is a great word. We should all use it more in our daily lives.

This always sounded like a leak to try and put some pressure on the Brooks camp more than reality.

Jackson was never going to happen. Not in this organization. Here’s the thing, Phil Jackson doesn’t just come in and coach, he takes over the entire organization — he is the mouthpiece of the franchise, you need to bring in players that fit his system, he changes the entire dynamic. The Thunder don’t need a new dynamic — they just reached the finals with a team core that is 23. You listen to the Heat players after their finals win and to a man they said they thought if they meet the Thunder in the finals next year or in two years they will be much, much harder to beat. This is a growing team on a good path. You bring in Jackson you change everything — yes, he has a track record of winning, but why change what is already working?

Jeff Van Gundy is a big name, he would help the Thunder defense, but he is also very, very expensive (as is Jackson.).

The Thunder players believe in Brooks. The Thunder players play hard for him every game. And while he seemed unsure of how to counter the Heat with lineup adjustments in the finals, in the round before he made the adjustments that beat Gregg Popovich. Again, this is not the time to make the change.

Brooks and the Thunder will get a deal done. He will be back next year. Everything else you hear is negotiations.

You know, for a guy who just won his conference, Scott Brooks can’t really get much respect. OK, he gets a lot of respect. But probably not as much as he deserves.

Brooks is of course without a contract extension, a free agent after June 30th, despite having just navigated a team so young it needs a parent to see films with the naughty bits to the NBA Finals. ESPN reports that Brooks and his agent are looking for a deal “north of $4 million per year” which puts him in line with what Tom Thibodeau reportedly wants. So what if the Thunder won’t pay it? What if they won’t go for the number of years, as ESPN reports is the hold-up?

ESPN also reports the Thunder have some, shall we say, back-up plans:

The reality is that Brooks and his bosses, after months of talks, don’t have a deal … and time is running out. And sources say that the Thunder, just to be safe, have started brainstorming in-house about whom they plan to pursue should negotiations with Brooks collapse. Two names, according to sources, that have come up in those discussions: ESPN’s Jeff Van Gundy and, yes, 11-ringed coaching free agent Phil Jackson.

You’d still be wise to expect an extension for Brooks in the near future.

Those are some back-up plans. It’s likely that those names have been tossed out to try and drive down Brooks’ price. That’s the most likely scenario, that this is a bunch of smoke and mirrors in negotiation. But either one represents an interesting choice. Van Gundy is a bit of a worrier so that would be a radical departure, but his defensive schemes would do wonders in an area the Thunder need help. He brings credibility in a big way. But would he mess with the chemistry? You have to wonder if so many years away broadcasting have mellowed the former Knicks and Rockets coach.

Jackson… is a bit more complicated. Any deal with Jackson comes with ties to personnel control. And limitations on how much time he’ll be spending. And is Jackson really going to trek it to Oklahoma City that regularly, considering he’s already hanging out in remote Montana? The conservative nature of the Sooner State is likely an impact as well, it doesn’t exactly vibe with Jackson’s general outlook.

But Jackson’s reportedly been waiting on another “opportunity” and this would be a big one.

But, no. Brooks will be re-signed, because you don’t let the guy who took you to within three wins (or a couple of calls) of an NBA title walk away. Not when chemistry has been such a big contributing factor for the club, and not when the franchise ultra-star has the man’s back. It’s just not done.